The Guardian Gamesblog has a piece on Jeff Minter's hookup with the Xbox 360. From the article: "It basically happened because a certain well-connected friend of mine really liked what we were doing here with VLM3 on the Gamecube, and brought someone from MS here to see. He in turn got very enthusiastic, and went back to MS and began bending ears. It took a fair bit of prodding and sending of demos but eventually it progressed to the point where I got hold of a devkit. Once we had proper live 360 code running it turned from 'maybe' to 'definitely!'."

Gamecube Advanced has the news that the Revolution will not support HD signals. From the article: "Nintendo doesn't plan for the system to be HD compatible as with that comes a higher price for both the consumer and also the developer creating the game. Will it make the game better to play? With the technology being built into the Revolution, we believe the games will look brilliant and play brilliantly. This can all be done without HD." Sony and Microsoft are hanging the moon on the HD phenomenon, with both consoles supporting at least 720p or 1080i. Press the Buttons has commentary on the announcement.

Yesterday's Nintendo press conference was probably the most subdued and honest of the three major events this week. While they didn't have anything really earth-shattering to offer up, the Gameboy Micro, the Revolution's game-downloading capabilities, and the new Zelda Trailer were all welcome news from a company that has been very quiet of late. Commentary, photos, and speculation available from: Nintendo, Engadget, USAToday, GamesIndustry.biz, 1up.com, Gamespot, Cube.IGN, NYT, BBC, Gamasutra, and CNN. Specific coverage on the new Gameboy Micro is available from Gamasutra, GamesIndustry.biz, and CNN. My two cents about Nintendo's conference are available below.

I don't know why it's on the video page for the upcoming Legend of Zelda game, but Gamespot has up a documentary shot at last year's E3 about their coverage of the event. Clocking in at almost an hour in length, it's an exhaustive and interesting look at all that they have to do to bring the coverage they do during the event. Well worth the time to check it out. (And hats off to those folks for their hard work.)

IGN.Cube has details on what its expected Nintendo will be showing off at E3 this year. Whether or not the Revolution gets much airtime is up in the air, but it's anticipated that new DS titles and the system itself are going to recieve the lion's share of attention. From the article: "...we predict that Nintendo will put a noticeable emphasis on its DS lineup and -- save for the new Legend of Zelda -- downplay some GameCube titles. This move seems to make sense as many of the GameCube titles sure to be on display in playable form will either have been previously shown at another event, or will be on the verge of releasing in America. In contrast, we expect several major surprises for the publisher's portable system."

Because I know you haven't had your fill of the surreal today, Grand Text Auto has up a link to a Flash movie which depicts a climactic battle between the consoles of old and the PSP...using the end of Final Fantasy VI. Commentary available at Game Girl Advance. My favorite part is where the GBA, GameBoy, GameCube, and N64 team up to defeat the Master Famicom and Rob. Actually pretty cool, if long.

From the pages of Gamecube.IGN comes a look at the upcoming Zelda title for the Gamecube. Their examination includes both established facts: "Looking at the official screens and trailers, it's apparent Link will once again mount a mighty steed and battle on horseback", and some wishful thinking: "Will Link transform into a wolf in his latest adventure? Undoubtedly, it's the most talked about rumor."

Courtesy of Joystiq, the inkling of an exclusivity deal for the next iteration of the Soul Caliber franchise. Sony and Namco may be in talks to ensure that Soul Caliber III only appears on the PS2. Still up in the air, of course, so take it with a grain of salt. From the article: "...nowadays when developers label a game as exclusive, the footnotes usually read 'for about the next six months or so.' There's a chance that Namco may just be making Xbox, Gamecube, DS, and perhaps even PSP owners wait until 2006 for their daily recommended amount of fighting game goodness."

An event anticipated all week by many of the conference attendees, the Keynote delivered by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata was informative and inspiring. He spoke early on Thursday morning to a packed room that broke out into pleased applause several times during the speech's delivery. His talk spoke of the future, Nintendo's vision, and a commitment to reaching out beyond the current crop of game players to folks beyond the hardcore. Read on for a bevy of coverage and my own commentary on the "The Heart of the Gamer". (And some Zelda footage, if you care about that.)

nparasu writes "Nintendo released fresh details about its upcoming games console, codenamed Revolution, at a game developers conference. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, confirmed that the new console will be able to run games originally made for the GameCube. Despite the hardware announcements, most of Mr Iwata's speech, entitled "The Heart of the Gamer", was a call for more imaginative game design. Game creators cannot rely on better graphics and more powerful games machines to attract new audiences, Mr Iwata said. He also revealed that Revolution will come with wi-fi connectivity built-in."

IGN has word that the next game in the RE series is already under development. There aren't really any details yet on the project, other than the changes made in the interface for RE4 (the over-the-shoulder view, the action orientation) will continue on with the next game. IGN also states that while the fourth game in the series was a GameCube native, the next one is likely to be a PS2 game or a multiple console launch. More details will be available in the next EGM.

Gamasutra.com has the news that UK retailers are beginning to be suspicious of the continued shortages of Xbox console supplies. From the article: "So prolonged, and apparently unexplained, have the problems become that conspiracy theories have begun to circulate regarding ulterior motives for the shortages. Many retailers are now openly speculating whether Microsoft has in fact ceased production of the console, in favour of the next generation machine, or is at least limiting its support to larger retail chains." Maybe you should have hung on to the GameCube, huh guys?

IGN has an article claiming to reveal a few rumours from around the industry. The most interesting of these rumours is the possibility that Halo 3 is in the works already, and what's more is being targeted at the PS3 launch date in an effort to undermine Sony. From the article: "The release of Halo 3 at the precise launch of PS3 is a pure, military tactical move, similar to the PS2's greatest lineup ever launching simultaneously with the launch of the Xbox and GameCube. It's designed to counter Sony's upcoming launch with the best weapon Earth has on its side, Master Chief." I'd take this one with a big helping of NaCl.

We've previously mentioned Homeland, Chunsoft's cell-esque massive gaming coming to the Gamecube. Joystiq has a bit more information on the title, including what appears to be a hand holding mechanism in the game. From the article: "By holding hands with a fire spirit, for instance, you and everyone else in the chain gain the ability to traverse pits of lava without taking damage. By holding hands with a wind spirit, you gain the ability to blow obstacles out of your path. In battle, the hand-holding mechanic serves a few purposes."

Gamespot has the story about a heads up arcade version of Gamecube favorite Mario Kart. The arcade version will apparently have several tweaks from its console brother to allow for the changes in setting. From the article: "The Mario Kart series features an item system so that players can catch up by using them when they're trailing behind, but with the new rubber-band system that Namco implemented [in Mario Kart Arcade GP], the races become a really close-pitched match..."

GamesIndustry.biz has the news that the Xbox 2 console, releasing this fall, will use wireless controllers by default. From the article: "Microsoft will be the first console manufacturer to ship wireless pads as standard with its hardware, but not the first to ship an official wireless controller; Nintendo has already enjoyed significant success with the WaveBird, its wireless pad for the GameCube."

Gamespot's weekly rumour control tackles several issues this week, the most intriguing being the possibility that the Starcraft: Ghost title may be coming out on next-gen consoles. From the article: "However, according to Blizzard, the listing is erroneous. 'It is not coming to next-generation consoles,' said a spokesperson. 'It is currently slated for the Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2.'" They also state that the rumoured Xbox 360 name is likely a non-starter. Which is probably a good thing.

obchrisj writes "A week long, unscientific poll on FileFront found 61% agreeing with the notion that Nintendo will soon be "going the way of Sega." In an editorial on their website, they ask Nintendo reps and industry analysts what the future of Nintendo really is, taking a glance at the DS, GameCube, and Revolution consoles. Slashdot recently reported on poor sales performance for Nintendo's GameCube. From the editorial: 'According to O'Rourke, Nintendo's U.S. market position has conditioned North American gamers to believe the company's global fortunes are equally down. Such "Nintendo is dying!" hysteria is largely a product of this cultural tunnel vision.'"

An anonymous reader writes "The site Cubehacker.com, a GC development page, is hosting a 60 day development competition. The goal of this competition is to boost interest in developing homebrew applications and games for this powerful little console."

Gamespot has the word that Resident Evil 4 has (finally) lurched and shambled onto the console market. From the article: Set after the events of previous RE installments, Resident Evil 4 follows series protagonist Leon S. Kennedy on an all-new adventure outside Raccoon City, the setting of the most of the previous games. This time around, the US government operative has been sent to a small European village in search of the president's missing daughter. However, since this is a Resident Evil game, he instead finds zombies--lots of zombies." Nothing like an outbreak of the undead to put on your tourist brochure. Reviews available via Gamespot and Gamespy.